The APSAD Conference Dinner and Awards was held at The Park overlooking the Albert Park Lake. Incoming APSAD President Dr Tony Gill presented the 2017 APSAD Awards. The recipients of the APSAD Awards are recognised as having made an outstanding contribution to reducing the harms associated with alcohol and other drug use in Australasia. It is a special experience to formally acknowledge the dedication of our peers and celebrate the quality of their work.

Ingrid is a public health and addiction medicine physician who has been a leader in the Harm Minimisation and public health sector for many years. She is renowned and respected both nationally and internationally and has long been the voice of reason social justice and disadvantaged people, such as sex workers, people who inject drugs and at-risk youth. Ingrid was also the founding Medical Director of the first and only Medically Supervised Injecting Centre in the southern hemisphere from 2000 until 2008 and the author of a book “In The Eye Of The Needle” which tells the story of the MSIC, how it came to be, the ongoing controversy, and fight to defend its existence.

The Mentor Award recognises an individual who has made an important contribution to mentoring and supporting the career development of clinicians, researchers or students.

Early Career AwardDr Briony Larance

Briony Larance is an NHMRC Australian Public Health Early Career Fellowship recipient and has worked at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC), Faculty of Medicine, UNSW, since 2004. Her research interests include opioid dependence, opioid substitution therapy and pharmaceutical opioids. Her research focuses on understanding the trajectories and health consequences of pharmaceutical opioid use among diverse populations, including chronic pain patients and people who are opioid dependent and/or inject drugs.

The Early Career Award is for excellence in research relative to career opportunities.+

First Peoples Award Scott Wilson

Scott has had an eminent career, being a key advisor to Commonwealth and State Governments in relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) alcohol and other drug issues over the past two decades. This includes as the Deputy Co-Chair of the National Indigenous Drug and Alcohol Committee between 2001 and 2014. Amongst his many other contributions, Scott has acted as the Australian delegate to the United Nations “Beyond 2008” International Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) Forum, Vienna. As founding and current CEO of the Aboriginal Drug and Alcohol Council, SA (ADAC) Scott is responsible for delivering a range of innovative services and programs to Aboriginal communities across South Australia.

The First Peoples Award recognises an individual that has made an important contribution to the advancement of the health of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander or Māori peoples.

Clinician AwardStephen Ling

Stephen Ling is a pioneer nurse practitioner in the alcohol and drug field in Australia. Mr Ling was one of the first of a very small number of clinical nurse consultants in the alcohol and drug field who applied for nurse practitioner status when this became possible. Since attaining this recognition, he has continued to lead the nursing field in NSW, though his clinical work and involvement in teaching and research.

Clinician Award recognises excellence and leadership in clinical practice in substance use in any discipline.

Senior Scientist AwardProf Dan Lubman

Professor Dan Lubman is a Psychiatrist and Addiction Medicine Specialist. He has worked across mental health and drug treatment settings in both the UK and Australia. He is Director of Turning Point and Professor of Addiction Studies and Services at Monash University. Dr Lubman’s research is wide-ranging and includes investigating the impact of alcohol and drug use on brain function, the relationship between substance use and mental disorder, as well as the development of targeted intervention programs within school, primary care, mental health and drug treatment settings.

The Senior Scientist Award is for a scientist who has made an outstanding contribution to the field of substance use and misuse.